—

7:45 a.m.

When I wake up Landon’s not there. I start spouting off curse words thinking I must be late for work if he’s already gone, but I still have a half hour before Alec gets here. Huh, Landon must’ve gone for a run or something.

I send him a text: Where are you?

After a few minutes of no response, I get ready for my long shift. Alec picks me up right on time, like always, and he doesn’t know where Landon is either. But he eases my mind and says Landon probably just has his earbuds in.

I still don’t hear anything while I’m at work, even though I send him more texts and voice mails. He’s going to get an earful when I get home, because I’m getting worried, and angry, and more worried.

But I come home to an empty apartment. No note or text or even Landon’s socks on the floor. The back of my eyes are starting to burn, and there’s an unnerving panic burrowing in my gut. I don’t even stay more than two minutes before I’m banging on the door down the hall.

“Whoa,” Theresa says when I slide past into her place.

“Have you seen Landon?”

“Um, I bumped into him outside.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. Couple of hours ago. Are you okay?”

I slump into her recliner, trying to calm my heart. “I haven’t heard from him all day.”

She sits cross-legged in front of me, setting her chin on my knee. “Did you get into another fight?”

“No.” Just the opposite. Things were going so well…or so I thought. We were nearly strawberries and whipped cream again, so it can’t be that.

But then what is it?

“I…think maybe he’s just…” I don’t know. Is he getting cold feet? Or is it even about me at all? I pull my phone out one more time and call him, and it rings and rings and rings, and when the beep sounds in my ear I go off. “Landon, please call me. I’m scared, and Theresa said she saw you earlier, and I just want to know if you’re okay, and if you love me you’ll answer your damn phone.”

“Okay, time to make brownies,” Theresa says, hopping to her feet.

“Enabler.”

“It’ll take your mind off it while you wait for him to—”

Buzz.

“Looks like he responds to threats,” she jokes while taking out a mixing bowl. I pull up the text.

I’m okay. With Jace, might stay for a bit to get this edit done. Sorry, the reception at his place is crap. Love you.

Seriously? I’m half tempted to make him wait an entire day for a reply. He was at work, wasn’t he? Ran into Theresa. He had all day to respond. I growl at my phone, and thank the heavens Theresa is making something chocolate.

Don’t do that to me again. Ass.

You still love me though, right?

*squeezes hand*

:)

My stomach finally feels normal, minus the fact that I haven’t really eaten today. So I get up and help crack eggs, and vent to my best friend about how men suck but we love them anyway.

—

It’s four in the morning, and Landon’s still not home. He must sense that his life is in danger, because I’m going to kill him when he gets here.

—

I get approximately two hours of sleep, and twenty minutes in Alec’s car on the way to work, because Landon still isn’t home and he won’t answer his cell again. I grasp Alec’s shirt and tell him that if he knows anything he better spill or I will karate-chop his voice box. He laughs at me, but snaps his lips shut when he sees I’m serious.

“All I know is that he spent the night at Jace’s,” he rushes out. “And that he asked if he could crash at my place tonight.”

I let go of his sleeve, heart sinking like a deadweight.

“Don’t be mad at him,” Alec says. “I think he’s trying to do something for you…” He says it, but his eyes say something very different.

“I’m not mad,” I tell him honestly. I’m not mad anymore. Just scared.

—

The next morning, Theresa is at my door with a handful of balloons.

“I am under strict instructions to distract you today.”

“Did you talk to Landon? What’d he say? He’s not leaving me, is he? Tell him he can have Sundance, I’ll apologize to his mom, I’ll take his sister out when she gets here, I’ll—”

“Liz. Breathe.” Theresa puts her hands on my shoulders, the balloons knocking into the side of my head. I inhale and blow out an exhale, and Theresa gives me a small smile. “That’s it…calm. I don’t know anything. Alec told me to take care of you. So I planned a bridal shower.”

My shoulders slump under her hands. She does look dressed up. Burgundy lipstick, rouge-splashed cheeks, and longer eyelashes, but she looks like that on her normal Friday nights. Her brown hair is kinked and curly and gorgeous. I feel like I just got pulled from a dumpster, and I really don’t want to beautify myself.

“I don’t want to.”

“I know,” she says, letting the balloons bounce to the ceiling as she pulls me in for a hug. “And trust me, if I knew where Landon was I’d first scream at him, maybe punch him, then I’d tell you where I left the body.”

I laugh into her hair, choking on a few strands.

“Let me distract you,” she says when I pull back. I nod and let her push me into the bathroom. After I take a short shower, I pad out onto the bath mat, trying to forget how it feels when Landon and I shower together and how dangerous: The first step out of the tub is when we were both so slippery and anxious to move to the bedroom. Back when we were luxurious dessert during the sex meal.

“Landon, it’s about time!” I hear from the other side of the door. It jolts me so much my feet don’t know whether to run toward Theresa or away from her, so I end up falling all over myself and landing between the toilet and the sink.

My ass is officially stuck.

“Theresa!” I yell, and then cover my boobs with the towel.

She comes in, phone to ear, searching around till she sees me stuck on the floor.

“Is that him?” I say, waving wildly for her to pass the phone. She does with suppressed laughter as I move my wet hair away from my ear.

“Where are you? Are you okay? What did I do? Are you mad at me? Please come home. I miss you and I need you, and I don’t know what I did wrong or why you won’t sleep in the bed with me or what.”

“Lizzie…” His voice sends a bunch of different emotions through me. I don’t know whether to be relieved, annoyed, upset, sad, or worried. “I’ll be home tonight.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Do you still love me?”

“Of course.”

“Because you sure as hell aren’t acting like it.”

“I love you.”

I pause, debating on saying it back. Not because I don’t feel it, but because he has me so pissed he doesn’t deserve to hear it. But then, of course, my imagination runs wild about what if something happens to him and this is the last time we talk and I didn’t say I loved him.

Damn it.

“I love you, too.”

“I’ll see you tonight.”

Then he hangs up, and I stick the phone out to Theresa.

She shakes her head at me. “You must really love him, because I just heard half of that conversation and he got off easy.”

He did. But if he really is coming home tonight and doesn’t have some brilliant excuse—which is doubtful—then I really should warn Theresa to wear noise-canceling headphones while she sleeps so all the screaming doesn’t wake her.

For now, at least he talked to me.

“He’ll get an earful later.”

“If you say so.”

“Please tell me there will be lots of chocolate at this shower.”

“And presents.”

Praise the Lord. “Okay…” I wiggle my fingers at her. “Please help me up.”

Chapter 24

Theresa and I walk to Penny’s place, since her penthouse is gorgeous and I could use the exercise. The balloons constantly bop us in the back of the head with the wind blowing around. Though I’d take this over enduring Theresa’s driving. I have to cling to the “oh shit” bar for dear life and say, “Red light,” “Crosswalk,” and “Shitshitshitshit,” whenever she cuts off a semi on the highway.